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BlueJazz (1000+ posts) Sat May-31-08 08:57 AM
Original message
78% of the US population believe in angels

It's followed by 8 pictures of an angry smilie hitting its head on a wall.

sleebarker (1000+ posts) Sat May-31-08 11:55 AM
Response to Original message
6. That's what happens when people are ignorant
They look for magical explanations of the world.

uberllama42 (1000+ posts) Sat May-31-08 03:06 PM
Response to Reply #9
28. It shows that four out of five people believe something on zero evidence It speaks poorly about the critical thinking skills of people in this country.

I find belief in angles ridiculous and do not think that particular belief deserves respect. Do we respect those who believe in fairies or leprechauns?

Do we respect those who believe that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction in 2003?

Belief in angles, IMO, is symptomatic of a larger cultural problem in America. Those who believe in supernatural entities for which there is no evidence can make very poor decisions. The fact that critical thinking skills are so rare has negative implications for the rest of us, who have to interact with angel-believers on a daily basis.

Yet these same people talk about their "spirit guides" and "healing white light"

You are correct to point out that DUers who believe in "healing white light" and other such New Age nonsense are in no position to criticize others for believing in angels, but not everyone at DU subscribes to New Age nonsense. For instance, I don't. I consider all religious and superstitious beliefs to be equally implausible.

"There's another reason I think popularizing science is important, why I try to do it. It's a foreboding I have -- maybe ill-placed -- of an America in my children's generation, or my grandchildren's generation, when all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when we're a service and information-processing economy; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest even grasps the issues; when the people (by "the people" I mean the broad population in a democracy) have lost the ability to set their own agendas, or even to knowledgeably question those who do set the agendas; when there is no practice in questioning those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and religiously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in steep decline, unable to distinguish between what's true and what feels good, we slide, almost without noticing, into superstition and darkness." - Carl Sagan

You are correct to point out that DUers who believe in "healing white light" and other such New Age nonsense are in no position to criticize others for believing in angels, but not everyone at DU subscribes to New Age nonsense. For instance, I don't. I consider all religious and superstitious beliefs to be equally implausible.

"There's another reason I think popularizing science is important, why I try to do it. It's a foreboding I have -- maybe ill-placed -- of an America in my children's generation, or my grandchildren's generation, when all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when we're a service and information-processing economy; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest even grasps the issues; when the people (by "the people" I mean the broad population in a democracy) have lost the ability to set their own agendas, or even to knowledgeably question those who do set the agendas; when there is no practice in questioning those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and religiously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in steep decline, unable to distinguish between what's true and what feels good, we slide, almost without noticing, into superstition and darkness." - Carl Sagan

Isn't Carl Sagan the dude that died?

If he died without Faith and accepting the Grace of God then he he is pretty much dead.

If he had Faith then he would believe in the Word of God. The Word of God speaks of angles being the messengers of God.

If you don't believe then you don't believe and Hell is very cold and dark.